i am totally new. i am planning my first quilt. i'm not yet sure what it will be. i really like messy random looking quilts. here are some pictures of the quilts i like. what kind of quilting is this called? how do you go about making a quilt like these? nothing looks squared up or even. and these quilts use large uneven pieces of material, not tiny ones like crazy quilts.

For the Yes/No quilt, to see how it's put together, look for full across the quilt lines.

So, what I mean by that, is the very top strip was added last, since there's a full across the quilt seam. So you could have the top down, add the sewn together strips, and that's the top.

Below that, the yellow strip was sewn to the black and red, below it blue-red-blue, blue-beige, and then those were sewn together. Since there's not a seam line going all the way across, I know they had to get sewn first. Then they were sewn to that vertical blue rectangle.

Below that, those 2 blues were sewn together, then to the beige. Both were sewn to the yellow square. Then this hunk was sewn to the hunk in the above paragraph. Then they were sewn to that grey/blue long piece.

Did any of that make sense? If you can see how it's put together, then you can figure out how to make your own. I would draw it out on graph paper/computer program/etc

Yes, I think utility quilts is the best description. I once attended a showing of vintage quilts from the south, made by black women, that had quilts very similar to the ones you like. They had several traditional quilts hung at the entrance, and the contrast was startling. The African American quilts were ***alive***; the traditional quilts looked very static when placed nearby. I have always regretted not purchasing the book of these quilts that was available for sale at the gallery showing; I've never run across it again.

These quilts were made for utility use out of whatever was available, and the women did not have access to rulers; they just cut and fit whatever they had. You'd think the result would be drab, but instead these quilts were vibrant and timeless; they could have hung in a contemporary art gallery and won prizes!

thank's everyone for your reply's. utility quilts is exactaly what i am going to make! i don't have the money to buy new fabric. buying the batting is going to hurt enough. but... i have a ton of old clothes, jeans. corduory pants, flanel, you name it, we've got it. so making quilts out of what i have is exactaly what i am gonna do.

right now i am busy having my mom help me ( i am just learning) sewing christmas gifts from my clothing stash, but when i am done doing that, i'll be starting quilting.

I didn't read all the instructions, but keep in mind that for durable seaming with denim, 1/2 inch seam allowance is best ... use a jeans type needle 90/14 or bigger ... jeans needles are sharper than universal.